Schrodinger's Bookshelf

Archive Introduction

A brief note on how I’ve set up my reviews archive:

The tags represent where a review ran the first time around, whether online, or in print. This includes defunct magazines such as Absolute Magnitude, Science Fiction Chronicle, and Realms of Fantasy.  All reviews that appeared in those magazines can now be found here, with the exception of a very few that were lost along the way. Reviews originally posted at The Green Man Review (and its sister site, The Sleeping Hedgehog), SF Site, and Tor.com remain on those sites indefinitely.  They are uploaded here at irregular intervals after their original publication, and are reprinted for my archives with all due credit and permission.

The categories, obviously, represent where a particular item falls into the grand scheme of things. This is pretty obvious, but a few things bear a little further explanation. Historical means that the book is set in the past of a world either meant to be ours, or pretty darned close. I’ve applied the Fairy Tales/Folklore/Mythology label to anything which I feel takes inspiration or influence from those themes, and as such, this is both a specific and nebulous category, applied at my whim and discretion. The Zombies, Shapeshifters, Vampires and Superheroes are in place simply because it amuses me to do so. Lastly, I’ve also marked some books as being of greater than usual interest because of LGBTQ themes – featuring a gay or lesbian character, for instance, or dealing with gender issues, or addressing matters of alternate sexuality. In all cases, this is a work in progress, to be fine-tuned and adjusted until I’m satisfied…whenever that might be. More categories may appear, some may vanish. I welcome feedback, suggestions, and comments, especially if you feel a certain book deserves (or doesn’t!) a specific, existing, category that I’ve overlooked.

Enjoy.

Introducing Sebastian

It is my honor to announce that following several retirements in the past few years, and a lengthy hiring freeze, the Feline Supervisory Committee has finally acquired a new intern. Sebastian, aka the Tiny Tabby Terror, aka Streaky, aka the Mini-doofus, comes to us after a short stay with the Roanoke RCACP. At only six months old, his resume is somewhat light, but he has already proven himself extremely talented in the arts of nose-licking, cheek-rubbing, head-butting, and finger-chewing. He is a skilled wrestler, a champion at hall dashing, and apparently fearless (and perhaps lacking in common sense.)

Committee members Gideon MacFluff and Professor Virgil the Weird have already taken him on as an apprentice in The Feline Arts, a comprehensive curriculum which will enable him to become a full-fledged member. The female half of the Committee refuse to have anything to do with these shenanigans; they think boys are silly and rambunctious.

We look forward to spending many years with Sebastian.

Schoolbooks & Sorcery: The Lineup Announced At Last

I’m pleased as punch and proud to announce that, with all contracts in hand, the final lineup for my upcoming YA anthology, Schoolbooks & Sorcery, is ready to be revealed. This is a project which has been in the works for quite a while, and I’m just so thrilled to share the Table of Contents with you. (Mind you, this isn’t the final -order- but this is everyone who will be in it…)

Now Available: The Circlet Treasure Chest: Erotic Microfictions

I am pleased to announce that The Circlet Treasure Chest: Erotic Microfictions for Any Occasion, is now available. You can buy it at the Circlet web site, on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other fine ebook retailers. This is a reprint collection of 50 of the many fine erotic microfictions which we’ve published on the Circlet site, many of which are no longer available there due to the site crashing last year. These microfictions cover a wide ranges of genres and sexualities, and all run under 1500 words or so, making them quick but enjoyable, even mindblowing, reads.

As the description says:

“In this collection of fifty short-short erotic tales reprinted from the Circlet Press website, authors explore all permutations of sex and sexuality, pushing the boundaries of gender, theme, genre and tone. From twisted fairy tales to science fiction adventures, these stories introduce readers to worlds of sensuality and satisfaction.

There’s a little something for everyone in this treasure chest of infinite possibility, as authors conjure up stories set in the past, present and future, as they step into fantasy realms and consort with gods, dance among the stars and dabble in dark matters. Romance, horror, mystery, action and more can be found scattered throughout these offerings, each one a full story told in less than 1500 words. And of course they all come with a healthy dose of explicit sex and sensuality, as befits a Circlet collection.

Many of Circlet’s most popular and prolific contributors are represented here, including Kannan Feng, Gayle C. Straun, Julie Cox, Andrea Trask, Cèsar Sanchez Zapata, and Circlet founder Cecilia Tan.”

As Circlet’s Microfiction Editor (on days when I remember the password to the email box), I had the honor of going through every microfiction published to a certain point to put together this collection. I’m not the first to hold this post, so I can’t take credit for originally running many of these, but my tenure is represented with some lovely selections.

I encourage you to go forth and check this out. Please buy, and please leave reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and personal blogs.